The Pink Panther Classic Cartoon Collection: The Inspector (1969)

Classic episodes of the Inspector Clouseau cartoons include my 25-year personal favorite Reaux, Reaux, Reaux Your Boat. ("Do not say Si, say Oui!" "Si, Senor, I mean, Oui.") The Pink Panther Classic Cartoon Collection: The Inspector: Vol. 1 (Add and Play title) was formerly listed here as (and can still be called up using the link for) The Pink Panther Classic Cartoon Collection: The Inspector: Vol. 6. However, these 34 cartoons originally aired as The Pink Panther Show, where the Inspector and Deux-Deux were ably voiced by Pat Harrington Jr. just 15 years into his still-active 55-year career. The Commissioner and his wife were often voiced by Paul Frees and June Foray. Disc 1 includes seventeen 5- to 6-min episodes: The Great Degaulle Stone Operation (Clouseau must protect the de Gaulle diamond from a shadowy three-headed thief), Reaux, Reaux, Reaux Your Boat (Clouseau and Deux-Deux must arrest a ship of thieves), Napoleon Blown-Aparte (a mad bomber has a field day with Clouseau), Cirrhosis of the Louvre (a shape-shifting art thief called The Blotch sacks the Louvre), Plastered In Paris (Clouseau and Deux-Deux pursue Mr. X across Africa), Cock-A-Doodle Deux-Deux (Clouseau and Deux-Deux finger the poultry that purloined Mrs. Pouletbon's diamond), Ape Suzette (Clouseau and Deux-Deux must arrest a sailor with a fistfighting ape), The Pique Poquette of Paris (Clouseau and Deux-Deux muist arrest the four-armed pickpocket Spider Pierre), Sicque! Sicque! Sicque! (Clouseau and Deux-Deux investigate a mad scientist's house as Deux-Deux transforms back and forth into a hideous creature), That's No Lady--That's Notre Dame! (Clouseau and Deux-Deux dress as women to catch a culprit only to get the Commissioner in trouble with his wife), Unsafe And Seine (Clouseau and Deux-Deux travel the world to meet a secret agent who turns out to be not what they expected), Toulouse La Trick (Clouseau is handcuffed to and dragged behind Toulouse Le Moose), Sacre Bleu Cross (Clouseau has bad luck entering the hideout of Hassan the Assassin), La Quiet Squad (the overworked Commissioner needs bed rest and Clouseau must ensure his peace and quiet), Bomb Voyage (Clouseau and Deux-Deux travel to an alien planet to free the abducted Commissioner), Le Pig-Al Patrol (Pig-Al and his cycle-gang cohorts thwart Clouseau's approaches to their hideout), and Le Bowser Bagger (his canine partner Private Bowser needs no help from Clouseau). The Pink Panther Classic Cartoon Collection: The Inspector: Vol. 2 (Save but not Play title) is also available as The Inspector Collection (Save and Play title but in a different episode order). Disc 2 includes seventeen 5- to 6-min episodes: Le Cop on Le Rocks (a Clouseau lookalike gets him put in prison, where all his escape efforts fail and even lengthen his sentence), Le Escape Goat (an elusive criminal makes repeated attempts on the Commissioner's life, each time leaving Clouseau in a compromising position), Crow de Guerre (Clouseau declares war on a jewel-thieving crow yet all his efforts backfire), Canadian Can-Can (Clouseau is assigned to the Canadian Mounted Police and pursues Two-Faced Harry), Tour De Farce (Clouseau is stranded on a desert island with a brutish convict as each tries to get the upper hand), The Shooting of Caribou Lou (Caribou Lou abducts Clouseau, whose attempts to escape all fail), London Derriere (after pursuing Louie the Swine to London, Clouseau must apprehend the armed jewel thief without use of his gun -- "No shooting please, old boy"), Les Miserobots (Clouseau is replaced by a mechanical policeman and all his attempts to eliminate the robot backfire), Transylvania Mania (a Transylvanian mad scientist who is "creating monsters without a license" and a dopey henchman -- "Teensy-weensy!" "Biggie-wiggie!" -- pursue Clouseau for his brain), Bear De Guerre (Clouseau goes quail hunting despite the prohibitions of a park ranger and a muscular bear), Cherche Le Phantom (Clouseau and Deux-Deux pursue an opera-house phantom to the Paris Zoo), Le Great Dane Robbery (Clouseau must sneak past an embassy guard dog named Tiny to recover a stolen code book), Le Ball and Chain Gang (Clouseau pursues a husband and wife to their home, where he tries to gain entry as they bicker over who is guilty of what), La Feet's Defeat (Clouseau and Deux-Deux must track down Muddy La Feet through booby traps and land mines), French Freud (Clouseau wonders if he's accident-prone as he faces constant booby traps while protecting the Du Barry diamond and courting actress Melanie Mercurochrome), Pierre and Cottage Cheese (Dirty Pierre the Punk escapes from prison and Clouseau must reapprehend him -- with the advice of a Chinese mechanical robot), and Carte Blanched (Clouseau borrows a shopping cart and is incessantly pursued for stealing one). Guest voices by Rocky & Bullwinkle's Paul Frees and June Foray. IW. 3.5 stars. (2-16-09)